COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY AS A PANACEA TO CORRUPTION IN NIGERIA

It is a well known fact that corruption has been a daunting & teething challenge that has been
bedevilling the Nigerian State for the past years. Corruption is a universal phenomenon found in
every sphere of life & every place inhabited by humans. Corruption simply refers to anything done
in an unethical, illegal, or immoral manner. Invariably, corruption is coterminous with evil. Thus,
so long as evil continues to exist on earth, corruption is inevitable in human life.

It is also an affirmative fact that all nations are equally corrupt just like Nigeria. But the
jurisprudential questions now are: Why is Nigeria not yet developed? Why is Nigeria still battling
with unemployment? Why is poverty still ravaging the Nigerian populace? Why can't our leaders
provide adequate welfare & basic infrastructure for us? In response to these posers, most, if not all
Nigerians will respond that it is due to the corrupt proclivity, propensity or disposition of our
political elites. As for me, the answer is far beyond that. To be banal, it is due to our high level of
ignorance. It is so bathetic that we, Nigerians are suffering from schizophrenia (a psychiatric
diagnosis denoting a state of chronic mental illness affecting our thoughts, emotions, & behavior)

Consider this analysis: Nigeria, is one of the richest countries in the world in terms of natural
resources. However, it is quite unfortunate that after exploiting these endowed natural resources &
looting public funds we use these treacherous resources & funds to develop other foreign countries
in the name of making investment. The purported rationale for the barbaric act by these
unscrupulous & bamboozling minds is that, if they invest these public stolen funds in Nigeria,
they will be witch-hunted by the anti-corruption agencies (EFCC, ICPC, & CCT)

Most developed nations attained that height not because they are not corrupt but, because they
have been wise enough to invest their public stolen funds within their domain or territory. They
don't use their public stolen funds to develop Nigeria or make investments in Nigeria or keep them
in Nigerian banks for safe keeping & running away from their anti-corruption agencies. On the
other hand, we, Nigerians after looting our public funds we take them to these foreign countries
for safe keeping, making of investments, & hiding from our anti-graft agencies. Our Government
will subsequently go to these same foreign countries & collect these same public stolen funds but,
in a disguise form of loans with humongous interest attached to it. Ironically, these loans when
brought to Nigeria are then not sagaciously utilised in the interest of the public but still re-stolen &
re-taken back to these foreign countries for safe keeping while we are left with gargantuan debts &
humongous interest to repay. For God sake, what a barbaric act of circumlocution! How can we be
collecting loans on funds that are originally ours & piling unnecessary debts. Moreover, the act of
these foreign countries abetting us to keep safe our public stolen funds is in itself an act of
corruption. So who said they are developed because they are not corrupt?

I call on all Nigerians to wake up & see clearly that we have for so long been using ourselves as a
device, a stratagem, a cloak, a sham, a puppet to develop other foreign countries. We must tell
ourselves the truth that corruption is inevitable in human life & stop wasting our resources on
trying to fight it. At best, we can only reduce its prevalency. The main thing we need to stop is this
our schizophreniac attitude of using our public stolen funds to develop other foreign countries
while our people are dying here in abject poverty.

At this juncture, I am courteously, candidly & unequivocally proffering the following

recommendations to the Federal Government (Buhari-Osibanjo Led Administration) for
consideration:
1. Any person suspected of having stolen public funds should not be chastised ab initio (at first
side) but, should be diplomatically mandated or persuaded to retrieve back the stolen funds &
investments from these foreign countries & invest them in Nigeria. Moreover, each & every
Nigerian within that vicinity will benefit from the investments through employment, social &
infrastructural development, & services rendered.
2. Any person suspected of having stolen public funds & who fails to abide by this nationalistic &
benevolent collective responsibility should be overtly declared as a persona non grata (an enemy
of the State) & the maximum penalty of death sentence accorded to him/her if found guilty of
corruption.

If these recommendations are considered & practicalised. If all our stolen national treasures are
retrieved from these foreign countries & brought back to Nigeria. If each & every corrupt Nigerian
invest his/her public stolen funds here in Nigeria then, I can assure you that Nigeria will transform
into a developed nation in no distant time. These issues of unemployment, poverty, & lack of
adequate welfare & basic infrastructure will all be a thing of the past.

In conclusion, our primary problem in Nigeria is not corruption. To reiterate, our main problem is
not corruption. Our major problem is this our schizophreniac attitude of using our public stolen
funds to develop other foreign countries at the detriment of our dear people. Let's all join hands in
this collective responsibility & transform Nigeria into a superlative & an augmented country
within this our inevitable & ineludible corruption proclivity, propensity, tendency, or disposition
that is inherent in humans.

Written by:
Killi Nancwat
28th July, 2017.